PDEA chief admits previously wanting to resign

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Aaron Aquino admitted on Monday he thought of resigning from his post.

Aquino said threats against his life did not stop when he formally became director general of the primary enforcer of the government’s war on drugs in September 2017. He said his life was more peaceful before he retired as a policeman.

“Dumating ‘yung time nung mid-2018 na parang gusto ko sana magresign kasi apektado ‘yung pamilya ko (During mid-2018 I somehow wanted to resign because my family is already getting affected,” he said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source.

“Pero sabi ko dalawa lang ang mangyayari sa akin kapag sinabi ko kay Presidente. Either sipain ako or sampalin ako ni Presidente. So sabi ko wag na lang, ayokong masampal at masipa ni Presidente. So I just continued and I started enjoying my work,” he then said in jest.

(But I said the President will only do either of the two things to me: kick or slap me. So I said I will not resign, since I do not want to be kicked or slapped by the President. So I just continued and started enjoying my work.)

He said that instead of gaining more friends, he had more enemies when he became PDEA chief. He said he expected this to happen.

During a Senate hearing, Aquino admitted his family also received death threats amid the controversy on the alleged drug recycling case in Pampanga in 2013. In that investigation, he claimed Gen. Oscar Albayalde phoned him sometime in 2014 to not implement the dismissal order against 13 policemen involved in the controversial operation. Aquino was then Central Luzon police chief at that time.